Ridge Art Invitational Show Is Exceptional, Juror Says

The exhibit was juried and judged by Mike Nemire, an artist who holds a master of fine arts degree from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he is the library audio visual coordinator.

By DONNA KELLY LEDGER MEDIA CORRESPONDENT

WINTER HAVEN | Much can be learned about artist Karen White by lifting the layers of her most recent award-winning work.Although the Winter Haven-based artist is known for her mixed media pieces created with handmade paper, she is also a voracious reader and prolific writer. White paid homage to these hobbies with her prize-winning piece, "Cover Story." "Cover Story" recently received the Best of Show Award in the Ridge Art Association 63rd Anniversary Fine Arts Exhibition.The show is on display in the Ridge Art Gallery until Jan. 27. The exhibit was juried and judged by Mike Nemire, an artist who holds a master of fine arts degree from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he is the library audio visual coordinator. Nemire selected 94 pieces of artwork representing 51 artists from throughout Florida and as far as North Carolina.The work of five artists who have judged Ridge Art shows are represented in the exhibit: Karen White, Kyle, Rachel Stewart, Robert York and Jeff Whipple."There's such a variety," said Nemire, adding that the quality of submissions was so high he had a tough time selecting winners.Christy Hemenway, executive director of Ridge Art, said the Fine Arts Exhibition is the most difficult show to get into each year. Of the 161 pieces entered last week, more than 70 were not accepted."It's a numbers game. Because the prize money is larger, I pull from farther away," Hemenway said. "If you have more pieces, fewer get into the show."This year, the artists were competing for a total of $2,575 in prizes.The show features a wide range of media ranging from Ilene Phelan's "Iron Clay," a 3-D bronze-like city rising from a frame, to "Be Their Voice," Joanne Godwin's powerful pyramid of dog collars touting responsible pet ownership, to Mal Surrency's moody watercolor, "The Meeting.""It looks like a really strong diverse show. We have a lot more sculpture than we've had in the past," Hemenway said.Marilyn Rackleman of Winter Haven received the $100 inaugural Marquardt Family Sculpture Award for her piece titled "Jasper's Extraordinary Day." The award was created by Mark Marquardt, a past president of Ridge Art and the Cultural Arts Board, the precursor to Polk Arts Alliance, to be given at the Fine Arts Exhibition each year.Created from manmade and natural found objects, "Jasper's Extraordinary Day" is a dancing bird in motion. "It's an extraordinary piece," Nemire said. "It forces you to walk around it."White's "Cover Story" is the artist's story in layers and begins with foam board covered by torn pages from a book as well as her signature handmade paper. Handwritten sentences from her journals line the piece and the power of written word is stressed by a cluster of strips cut from pages of an old book.White often uses her journal writing in her pieces."I was writing about my studio and I used a lot (of materials) from my studio, so this is a study," she said. "The idea is it is repetitive, texture and mystery — that's what the writing is."Nemire praised the composition and craftsmanship of the piece."The larger (text) draws you in. The smaller keeps you looking at it," he said. "I like a lot of variety of line and scale."Nemire described the second and third place winners as "slice of life pieces of very different styles."Kim Testone of Kissimmee received second place for "Top of the 9th," an oil painting of a girl perched on a concession stand counter surrounded by an old fashioned menu board, a neon Budweiser sign, a coffee machine, and cups stacked by the soda fountain."I thought this was a really gorgeous painting. It's got that luscious quality that you just want to eat," Nemire said.He complimented Testone's handling of paint and the way light hits the painting."That softness makes it more lifelike." Nemire said.Orlando-based artist Kyle received third place for, "Monomaniacal," a mixed-media piece inspired by the aftermath of hurricanes Charley and Katrina.Bold brush strokes frame the piece and hint at physical and internal turmoil as a found object figure of a man escapes from a mountain of rubble."The way the painting elements come into the collage element creates a lot of tension in the center," Nemire said. "It really draws you in — it's really intimate."Kyle, an art professor at Valencia College, describes it as "art of the moment.""This is what Charley looked like — and Katrina looked like," he said.He walks a line between avoiding the literal, yet being in the moment.The man emerging from the rubble, Kyle said, represents "a portal or secret passageway to something bigger.""I like (capturing) the moment we live it and try to describe the way it feels," he said. "We love it but we are not sure where it is going."Other award winners were:Awards of Excellence: Greg Jones of Lakeland, "Still Life with Can of Brushes," mixed media; and Robert Varney of Lakeland, "Marker," photography.Honorable Mentions: Rose Burroughs of Winter Haven, "Koi," Chinese brush on rice paper; Don Stone of Winter Haven, "Grove #83," acrylic on board; Bob Rosinsky of Lakeland, "Restless Legs," photography.